


Heartflame

by Esselle



Series: Wander [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fantasy, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Sharing a Bed, Snow and Ice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-19 02:49:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13695321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esselle/pseuds/Esselle
Summary: "Hinata," he whispered, "do you know what a heartflame is?"Hinata shook his head. "What's that?""It's something my tribe talks about sometimes," Kageyama told him. "They can be anything, for anyone. But you have to find yours, first.""Oooh," Hinata said softly. "What does it do, once you find it?""They make you warm," Kageyama said. "Always, even when it's coldest."--Kageyama teaches Hinata about the ice, and learns a few things about how to keep warm himself.





	Heartflame

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ainu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ainu/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AINU!!!! Love you lots <3333
> 
> This is written for [this beautiful art](http://ainudraws.tumblr.com/post/166016009091/inktober-day-3-prompt-3-in-the-coldsnow-a) Ainu drew for Inktober 2017, and is a continuation our collab _Wander_! It always makes me feel very warm when I think about it, and so I hope this new fic can do the same for you  <3
> 
>  **NOTE:** this fic contains several instances of and references to hunting (for survival), but no animals are injured or killed.

The nomad elder was unimpressed by the sight before her. Two boys, staring shamefaced and silent at the snow upon the ground; she did not have the time for it.

Time on the ice was precious to the nomadic tribes. It was not like in a village, where days could afford to be more stationary. That was not the life they had chosen. The nomads chose the life of the land, of seeing and discovering all it had in store, but that meant they must keep moving, day after day—for safe campground and food and to escape the bitterest blizzards that rolled in from the endless horizon.

Kageyama had known that all his life. And Hinata was still learning their ways, now that he had bid goodbye to his village, to set out on the path.

But occasionally, the two of them had a knack for causing trouble.

"Explain what happened," the elder said sternly. "Quickly. _Without_ mumbling."

Hinata shifted at Kageyama's side. "I… wanted to try and wash—"

"I was doing the washing for the bedding in the river, but the current was stronger than I expected," Kageyama said, talking over him. Hinata turned and blinked at him, and Kageyama silently willed him not to argue, even if it wasn't the whole truth. "Some of it got washed away."

"Some of it," the elder repeated. "You mean mine."

"Yes," Kageyama said, resigned.

She looked at him. "Well, boy, you're in luck."

This was not what he was expecting to hear. "I am?"

"You are." She pointed at Kageyama's bedroll, neatly packed on his sled. "Fortunately, you've an extra one of those."

"An extra…" Kageyama tilted his head. "But that's mine."

The elder smiled thinly at him. "I think you'll find it's mine, now, in fact."

Inwardly, Kageyama groaned. He'd walked right into that, he supposed. He was used to the uncompromising mannerisms of the rest of his tribe, but Hinata looked aghast.

"Where will he sleep?" he asked. When the elder turned her eye on him instead, he squeaked softly, stepping behind Kageyama. Kageyama let him hide, even though he shouldn't. Eventually, Hinata would need to learn to be brave and not waver; but for now… He felt the insistent clutch of Hinata's hand at his sleeve, the way Hinata pressed into him and shivered with nerves, not cold, and let it be.

"I think I'll leave that up to you two to work out," the elder said, as she retrieved her new bed from Kageyama's belongings. "After all, you still have your bedroll, don't you, Hinata?"

"Y-yes…" Hinata said, clearly still confused. Kageyama, on the other hand, understood where she was leading. Even inside a tent, he'd never be able to sleep on the frozen earth unprotected.

"Let me share yours," he told Hinata. He expected shock, or complaining, and waited as Hinata's eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh!" Hinata said. He nodded vigorously. "You have to sleep with me, Kageyama, or you'll freeze!"

Kageyama's cheeks heated, even in the chilly breeze. "Yeah." Hinata beamed at him, and because that was difficult to look straight at for very long, he turned back to the elder. "We're sorry for the inconvenience."

She waved them off. "I'll leave it to you to figure out what to do about the shortage of bedding."

*

Fortunately for Kageyama and Hinata, the tribe had decided it would be smart to stay at their current campsite for another week or so—the streams were brimming with fish at that time of year, the winds had shifted to leave the area less frozen, and frequent, gentle snowfall softened the harsh edges of the ice.

This meant they had time to work out their new sleeping arrangements. The two of them already shared a tent; the tents they used for long stretches of time were much sturdier than the tiny ones the two of them had brought on their journey to rekindle their torches. They were harder to transport and set up, but trapped heat and kept out the cold much more effectively. But the chill was never quite absent, a fact Kageyama was reminded of as he and Hinata tried to figure out how best to fit two of them into a bedroll meant for a single person.

"Sorry," Hinata said, as they both wiggled around, trying to find room around each other. "I know it's… a bit cramped…"

"It's—f-fine—" Kageyama said, his teeth chattering. His whole left side was sticking out of the furs. He considered putting all his outerwear back on, but that would make it even harder for him to fit in beside Hinata.

"How far out are you…" Hinata started to ask, his hand feeling around, reaching over Kageyama's waist to pat around his hip and side. "Kageyama, you're _still_ gonna freeze!"

"This isn't that bad," Kageyama stuttered out staunchly.

"It could be _less_ bad," Hinata huffed. "Here, turn towards me, maybe—"

"I said, I'm _fine,"_ Kageyama barked. Hinata fell silent. Kageyama stared up at the ceiling of the tent. Maybe he just deserved to freeze.

"How come…" Hinata said softly, "how come you're back to acting like you were before?"

"Before what?"

"Before we got to know each other," Hinata said. "Before you started being nice to me."

"I don't…" Kageyama frowned. "I'm not acting like anything."

"Sometimes, you're still nice," Hinata said. "You didn't tell the elder what really happened."

What had really happened was that Kageyama had been trying to wash the bedding like he'd been assigned to do; and Hinata had tried to help, too enthusiastically. When Kageyama had pushed him off, Hinata had pulled; and much like the incident with the torches that had thrown them together in the first place, disaster had struck. The elder's bedding had gotten away from them both in the ensuing struggle, swept away by the current. And now, here they were.

"It would have been worse if she knew we did something dumb while fighting again," Kageyama said.

And he'd been nervous. Yes, they had taken Hinata in, accepted him as a part of their tribe. But Hinata was still small and clumsy and scared and learning. What would happen if he made one too many mistakes?

What would happen to their journey, then?

"I guess so," Hinata said. He shifted, turning his back on Kageyama. "You started to feel really warm to me, before. But now…"

He didn't finish—perhaps drifting off to sleep. Or perhaps unable to say what he meant. But Kageyama thought he knew.

He had given Hinata the fur Hinata still wore every day to keep warm. He had held Hinata's hands and danced with him while they walked on a sea of lights. He'd asked Hinata to wander the world with him. But if the tribe saw that he was too soft on Hinata, who he had brought into their midst, would they even let Hinata stay?

He turned in the bedroll to face Hinata's back. "Okay," he said, and Hinata's shoulders raised, slightly, toward his ears. "I'll do better."

It was very dark in the tent, but he thought he saw Hinata give the smallest nod of his head in understanding. Kageyama felt less cold now; only his back felt the open air. He closed his eyes, and hoped he might be able to sleep.

*

If they wanted to fix their mistake, and impress the elder in one go—ideally, enough to make her overlook any future mishaps—Kageyama knew there was one way to kill two birds with one stone.

A few kilometers to the south of their camp, he had seen on one of the tribe’s elaborate maps, lay a frost forest. It would be a day's journey there and back; and within that forest, he would find the prey he sought.

The animals that lived in frost forests were all of a particularly rare sort—fur of the sheerest white, gleaming with organic snow crystals that formed on the fur itself. Frost animals were especially valuable as food, because of the higher water content in the meat. Their bones were incredibly durable and strangely translucent, and made for tools and weapons both sturdy and ornate. And the pelts, once carefully sheared to ensure no razor sharp ice pellets remained embedded in it, could be turned into the warmest clothing.

If Kageyama could hunt and fell a frost stag, or even just a deer, he could make up for their loss with new, and far superior fur for a bed. And he and Hinata would have food for more than a week. As one of the tribe's most promising hunters, it was a task he was sure he could manage.

Except for one small, excitable, _loud_ problem.

"Alright," he said gravely, "you remember what I told you?"

Hinata bounced along at his side as they walked. "Stay still," he said, "and quiet, and listen to everything you say."

The problem was that in order for Hinata to be counted skilled and useful along with Kageyama, he actually did have to come _along with Kageyama._ And so, despite Hinata's general hopelessness at hunting, they had trekked along through the snow together. The plus side, Kageyama thought, was that Hinata seemed completely recovered, after his sudden sadness the night before. He loved going on these adventures together; his whole face was lit up in his excitement. They were approaching the edge of the forest, and Kageyama stopped, turning again to Hinata.

"When I say quiet, I _mean_ it," he said, reaching out to adjust Hinata's furs. He wore new ones, borrowed from one of the tribe's kindly old trappers, and they were too big on him—pure white, with a hood that covered his whole head. Kageyama wore the same. "Sound is amplified in the forest, so anything you do is going to be ten times as loud."

 _"Ten times?"_ Hinata repeated. "Why? What's so special about this frost forest anyway? Is it going to be colder? How come I had to wear these furs instead of my regular ones? Will I—"

Kageyama covered Hinata's mouth with a gloved hand, so only Hinata's eyes, peering up at him from beneath the hood, and his round, red cheeks, were visible. Kageyama remembered, suddenly, how close Hinata had been the night they'd seen the moonfish, how he'd pressed as close to Kageyama as he could get and smiled up at him and made the cold seem more than bearable—comfortable, when they were sharing space.

"You'll find out when we get there," he said. The bit of Hinata's face he could see looked dissatisfied with this answer, and he hesitated. "I think… I think you'll like it there. But that's why I'm reminding you to be _quiet,_ I know how you get—"

"I will be!" Hinata reassured him, pushing his hand away. He had perked up again. "You think I'll like it?"

"I hope so," Kageyama said. Satisfied that Hinata would try and stay silent, and that he was properly covered now, all in white, Kageyama nodded. "You look like a real snow hunter now." He just managed to catch a glimpse of Hinata's smile as he ducked his head, small and shy.

They made their way up over the small hill they'd been climbing, and Hinata gasped.

"Wowww…"

The forest lay glittering before them in the sunlight, close enough now that Hinata could see what made it special. The trees there weren't made of wood, but ice. Their enormous crystal trunks were so thick they appeared almost blue in the light. The trunks spiraled up and outwards into clear, thin branches, with leaves like hundreds of snowflakes at the ends of each that from this distance looked like spiky clusters; but Kageyama knew if they got close enough, each individual leaf would have its own shape and pattern.

Slowly, they approached. There had been snowfall that morning and it still dusted the ground and the thicker clusters of leaves. It muffled their footfalls, just barely. Every crunch of their feet upon the ground was reflected and echoed and magnified by the crystal ice trees. The soft breath of the wind sang through the branches like bone chimes, high and delicate.

"Uwoh—" Hinata said in surprise as he caught sight of his warped reflection in one of the tree trunks. His exclamation echoed through the trees, and he clapped his hands over his mouth as Kageyama glared at him. "Sorry," he said, although this was also too loud. "But—I look like Elder Maruko."

Kageyama opened his mouth to scold him, and then glanced at his reflection. Instantly, he saw the resemblance to the cranky elder man Hinata was talking about—the too small head, the bottom part of Hinata's body ballooning out on short little legs. Kageyama snorted, and the noise bounced from tree to tree, guttural and rude. Hinata grinned openly at him.

"Shhh!" Kageyama said, unhelpfully. He could already see a family of snow hares fleeing from them.

He expected to feel resentful about bringing Hinata along; he was a skilled and silent hunter, and even in amongst the ice trees, this should have been a manageable task for him. Yet, even with Hinata making things so much harder than they should be, he thought he seemed lighter than he remembered feeling while hunting before. Like the cold air filling his lungs was easier to breathe, suddenly.

They spent several hours both waiting, and prowling. Hinata wasn't anywhere near as quiet as Kageyama, but he picked up some of the tricks without being expressly taught—the best way to move his feet in the snow to keep from making noise, the way to breathe along with the rhythm of the wind so his own breathing pattern didn't disrupt the flow and alert the animals. It was impressive, Kageyama had to admit. And it meant that Hinata would learn, given time.

It was bordering evening when they spotted the quarry they were after. A massive white stag, head lowered, bleached antlers draped with icicles. Its antlers nearly touched the still waters of the perfectly clear pool it drank from. It was still unaware of their presence. Kageyama held up his hand and Hinata stopped moving, immediately.

Carefully, Kageyama removed his rifle from his back. He would only get one shot at this, and the moment he fired, the entire wood would clear out around them. It would be impossible to track anything else that day. He stared down the rifle sights, carefully taking aim.

The sound of a bird in the branches above him did nothing to shake his concentration. Next to him, he saw Hinata glance up, curious.

A moment later, an explosive sputtering sound erupted at his side, so sudden and startling that he jumped, finger squeezing on the trigger. His shot went utterly wild. It pinged off a tree trunk, sending fragmented ice crystals shattering off it. The stag spooked instantly and bolted. Kageyama shouted, and tried to track it with his rifle, but it was too late—it weaved through the trees, and was lost in the reflections, disappearing before he could get another shot off.

He rounded on Hinata. The other boy was bent over, gagging, hand pounding at his chest.

"What the hell was that?!" Kageyama demanded.

"The… the bird…" Hinata sputtered, pointing up at the tree. "I looked up… I looked and it…"

"It _what?"_

"It _pooped!"_ Hinata cried. His voice was oddly garbled, like he was trying not to close his mouth.

"So?" Kageyama asked. "We all poop!"

"No," Hinata moaned. "It got—it's in my—" He straightened up, eyes watering, and pointed at his mouth, before doubling over and retching.

Kageyama blinked at him. "Did that bird just shit in your mouth?"

"Don't—" Another loud heave. "Don't _say_ that, Kageyama, it's vul— _hurgh—"_

As Hinata tried desperately not to let his lunch resurface, Kageyama glanced at one of the trees near them and caught sight of Hinata's rippling reflection, his head now comically inflated, cheeks bulging larger than Kageyama had ever seen. He promptly lost all composure.

"Stop _laughing,"_ Hinata gasped desperately later, after he'd washed out his mouth. "Oh, ugh, it was—cold, and _bitter—"_

"That's what you get," Kageyama said remorselessly, "for not closing your mouth."

Hinata pouted. "Now what?"

"Now… we head back," Kageyama said. "It's getting late."  

"Oh," Hinata said. He sounded crestfallen. "Okay."

It was dark when they got back, cold and empty-handed. They returned the snow furs to the trapper, who patted Hinata sympathetically and told him there was always next time. But Hinata clearly had his own thoughts on the matter. He ate his dinner mostly in silence, not saying much even when Kageyama pretended to take the last piece of meat from his plate. He put it back when Hinata didn't fight him over it.

Eventually, they were left to their own devices after helping clear up after dinner. There were games to be played around the campfires, or stories to listen to, or songs to sing. But Hinata, who usually wanted to do so much of everything that he had a hard time deciding which to choose, disappeared inside their tent without a word.

Kageyama followed him. He found Hinata getting ready for bed already, taking off his heavy outer clothing and crawling into the snug bedroll.

"Are you feeling alright?" Kageyama asked, wondering if maybe frost bird shit wasn't very good to swallow.

"I'm fine," Hinata said, "just a bit tired. Don't worry about me, you don't need to stay in here."

Kageyama frowned. What was he going to do out there without Hinata? He'd always felt a bit awkward on his own. "I'd rather stay with you, anyway."

He went about getting into his night clothes. When he came to slide himself into the bedroll beside Hinata, he discovered Hinata staring at him.

"You would?" he asked.

"Would I what?"

"Rather stay here," Hinata said, "with me." Kageyama nodded and Hinata scooted closer to him. "Even though I messed up your hunt?"

 _"Our_ hunt," Kageyama said. He grinned a bit at the memory. "You looked so dumb. We'll figure something else out."

"Okay," Hinata whispered. "Hey, you can… if you move closer, I think the furs will cover you all the way."

"Huh? Oh, yeah…" Kageyama said, shifting as instructed. When he was close enough that the two of them were practically nose to nose, and he was staring directly into Hinata's eyes, he said, "You're right. That's warmer."

"Good," Hinata said. "Hey, Kageyama?"

"Hmm…" Kageyama hummed. He was so warm. Hinata lying next to him made his bed more comfortable and cozy than it had ever been before.

"Do you regret bringing me?"

Kageyama shook his head. "I had to, anyway."

"No, I mean…" Hinata took a deep breath. "Do you regret bringing me out here, to the ice? With your tribe?"

Kageyama swallowed a yawn halfway through it, caught by surprise. "What? No! Why the hell would I regret that? I _asked_ you to come with us. With _me."_

Hinata stared at him—Kageyama could make out the warm depths of his eyes, even in the dark. "I'm just… causing you a lot of problems, though."

"So what?" Kageyama grunted. "That's why I'm here to teach you."

"Okay," Hinata whispered.

A frigid thought occurred to Kageyama. _"You_ don't regret it, do you? Coming out here?"

"No," Hinata said, with as much fervor as Kageyama himself had. "I want to stay with you, too. I want to see a lot more things."

Satisfied, Kageyama nestled a little bit closer—he felt the toe of his soft fur-lined slipper brush Hinata's, and Hinata nudged him back. "Did you like the forest?"

"Yeah," Hinata said, sighing happily. "It was really beautiful."

"Except for that bird."

"I'll punch you, Kageyama."

From outside, they could hear the songs of the nomads drifting into the tent. Hinata hummed along, most of the tunes memorized, now, if not all the words. Kageyama closed his eyes, but stayed awake for quite some time longer, listening to Hinata and his people.

Hinata might still be learning, but he was fitting in fine; and Kageyama fit, too, alongside him.

*

"Ah, young Tobio. Up early considering yesterday's hike, I'm surprised."

At the sound of the wizened old voice, Kageyama turned, to see the elder approaching him from the direction of camp. He had gotten up very early to fish in the river near their campsite, painstakingly edging his way out of the bedroll so as not to wake Hinata. His task had been made considerably harder by the way Hinata had draped his limbs over Kageyama in the night while they slept. But Kageyama had managed it—the only sign Hinata had given of being disturbed was the way his small nose twitched once or twice as Kageyama moved. Kageyama had made sure to cover him back up carefully with the furs before heading out.

He'd yet to get a bite on his lure, but he hadn't been out very long. There must be plentiful fish in the water, still—many in the tribe had opted to hunt, instead of fish, as the woods around were bountiful. But after yesterday's failed attempt at catching food for themselves, Kageyama had decided a few humble fish were good enough for their purposes.

"Good morning, elder," he said, trying to bow in greeting to her and keep his line steady at the same time. She looked amused.

"I'm not here to scold you, don't worry."

He nodded. It wasn't that he'd been worried, exactly… but they still hadn't found a replacement for her bed, and it appeared news of his failed attempt at hunting the day before had reached her ears.

"Just wanted to take in the morning air—oh!"

Kageyama spun. The elder had slipped on one of the wet river rocks along the bank, and he moved instantly, catching her around the shoulders with one arm. He winced slightly as the river current tugged on his fishing pole, but adjusted his grip to make sure he wouldn't lose it.

"Are you… okay…?" he asked the elder, but she was smiling up at him quite contentedly. And knowingly.

"Oh, yes," she said. "It's very lucky you're so strong, Tobio. You could even hold onto your fishing pole in that current one-handed…"

Kageyama realized he'd been trapped. He sighed, eyes closing, as she straightened up easily, chuckling to herself.

"You knew I wasn't telling the truth about the bedding," he said, grumpily.

"Of course I did, I helped bring you into this world," she said. "I can always sense when you're lying."

"No, you can't," he mumbled.

"What was that, boy?"

"How come," Kageyama said, choosing not to repeat himself, "you acted like you didn't know?"

"How come _you_ lied?" she needled. He glared at the river. "I wanted to see what you would do. If you want to take responsibility for the Hinata boy, you must do more than shield him from trouble."

"I know that," Kageyama said, stomach roiling unpleasantly. "He's trying. He was trying to help me, even when I—when we lost the bedding."

"Why did you bring him to our tribe?" she asked him.

Kageyama swallowed. "He wanted to see more things, out here. And I wanted… I really wanted to show them to him."

His elder nodded sagely. "It sounds to me like you are both searching for your heartflame."

This made Kageyama frown. Heartflames were a very old concept among the nomads—but they could be anything, which made it very hard to know, at first, where to begin the search. They could be a skill, or a place, or a song, or even…

Even a person.

"Mistakes come from learning, and we learn from our mistakes," the elder said, staring out across the snow. "As long as he understands we do not walk an easy road, then he is welcome among us."

Kageyama nodded fiercely. "He knows. We both do. We don't _want_ an easy road."

The elder smiled. "Then no matter where we walk, both of you are home."

*

A long day later, Kageyama lay in bed next to Hinata once more, their faces close together, breaths rising and falling in rhythm.

"Hinata," he whispered, "do you know what a heartflame is?"

Hinata shook his head. "What's that?"

"It's something my tribe talks about sometimes," Kageyama told him. "They can be anything, for anyone. But you have to find yours, first."

"Oooh," Hinata said softly. He liked when Kageyama told him new things, so he could learn about the nomads better. "What does it do, once you find it?"

"They make you warm," Kageyama said. "Always, even when it's coldest."

Hinata smiled at him, awed. "That sounds amazing! What do you think mine is?"

"Food," Kageyama said instantly, and Hinata laughed.

"That's so boring!"

"Bird poop."

"Kageyama!"

Hinata shoved at him, and Kageyama caught him, squashing him to his chest to stop Hinata from jabbing at him with his quick fingers. Hinata pretended to struggle, but his movements and laughter quieted down eventually, until he just lay there, soft hair tickling Kageyama's chin. He shifted, and Kageyama let him get comfortable, until Hinata's arms were tucked between them, their legs intertwined, his head nestled against Kageyama's chest.

"I'm really warm right now," Hinata whispered.

Kageyama realized that he was also completely covered by the furs now; they were squeezed close enough that they both fit fine.

"Me, too," he said.

In the morning, he woke up again completely tangled with Hinata. His plan for today was to try and do some hunting. He thought about bringing Hinata along, but stopped when he saw him—relaxed and soft, a sliver of pale winter light from the flap of the tent falling across his face. He was still fast asleep.

Much later, Kageyama had managed to escape for the second morning in a row without waking Hinata. There'd be time enough for him to learn another day, and besides, he didn't mind the excited cooing from Hinata it always set off, when he returned with fresh game for the two of them. Hinata was hopeless at hunting himself, so he thought it was amazing every time Kageyama was successful.

He laid eyes on a hare, and was just aiming his rifle, steadying his breathing, when he heard the noise of leaves ruffling above him—and then a very heavy, very cold snowpile dropped from the branches directly on top of his head, startling him.

_"Argh!"_

His shout spooked the hare, which took off into the snow, disappearing from view. He groaned, hanging his head in defeat. The large clump that had fallen on him began to drip, mushily, from his hair. Some of it sludged down the back of his coat and trickled down his neck and between his shoulder blades. He shuddered, and sneezed.

The sound of someone laughing in pure delight made him turn. Hinata was standing there, clutching at his sides, breath puffing into the air in front of him as he howled. He'd caught the whole thing.

Kageyama scowled. "Why aren't you still sleeping?"

"I woke up and you were gone!" Hinata said. "So I came looking."

"Well, you found me," Kageyama said.

Hinata grinned. "Yeah, I did."

Kageyama glared at him. A thought occurred to him, and he glanced up, before turning back to where he'd seen the hare, nonchalantly. "Alright, well, if you're here, you can help me."

"With what?" Hinata asked, instantly excited.

"Your eyes are sharp," Kageyama said, gesturing at him to come closer. "Can you stand here and see if you can spot the hare again?"

"Okay!" Hinata said. He trotted closer.

"Yeah, right… no, a little bit over… there." Kageyama nodded. "Perfect."

"Where was it last?" Hinata asked. His face was schooled into an expression of seriousness.

Kageyama pointed. "It was somewhere there."

Hinata peered hard in the direction he'd indicated, and Kageyama waited. Sure enough, the sound of leaves shifting came again, and…

_"Eeek!"_

Hinata shrieked and spun around, looking ready to fight someone. A huge chunk of snow had landed directly on top of his hood. Kageyama bent double, slapping his hands on his knees, wheezing with laughter.

"You knew that would happen!" Hinata accused him. "You look like an old man, you're the worst."

"Yeah," Kageyama admitted, wiping a tear away. Hinata crossed his arms, huffing angrily. He glanced at Kageyama out of the corner of one squinted eye, and his mouth twitched.

In seconds, they were both laughing too hard to talk. Kageyama couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed this hard. He wondered if he ever even had.

"You've still got snow all over your head," Hinata said, giggling helplessly.

He looked so warm. Not just because the early morning sun, just starting to rise and turn the sky from colorless to gold, painted him orange and yellow, made the color in his cheeks and the tip of his nose stand out even more. Not just because his eyes were always clear and bright, impossibly more so when he laughed, which was often.

Hinata had always been warmth, to Kageyama, since they'd met. At first, Kageyama had mistaken it for something bad—warm things couldn't last out on the ice.

Except they could. Warm things were what made that life bearable.

"Hinata," he said, and Hinata was still smiling when Kageyama kissed him.

Kageyama felt him gasp, but he didn't move away. And then Hinata was bouncing up on his tiptoes, nearly falling into Kageyama in his rush to kiss him back. Kageyama wrapped his arms around him tightly, a light, bubbly, flying feeling shivering inside his chest.

This was the real reason why he'd wanted Hinata to come with them, he realized, the reason why Kageyama wanted to show him everything Hinata wanted to see.

He was happiest with Hinata.

Hinata drew back, so he could speak, whisper smilingly against Kageyama's lips, "You've still got snow in your hair, stupid."

"Didn't notice."

"How?" Hinata asked, brushing some of it off, before giving up to hold Kageyama's face between his gloved hands happily.

Kageyama shrugged. "I don't feel cold."

"That's how it's supposed to work!" Hinata said, beaming at him proudly. "Now that we found each other, we won't be cold again, right?"

Hinata really was picking things up quickly, Kageyama thought, leaning in to kiss the self-satisfied smile off Hinata's face. Though it was possible Kageyama still had a few things to discover himself.

But, he decided, he could accept that. What mattered was that the world would teach them; and together, they would learn.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> [I'm [@esselley](http://esselley.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr, [@Esselle_hq](https://twitter.com/Esselle_hq) on Twitter]


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